Bardstown, KY, Civil War Museum

 After my trip to Perryville last Thursday, I spent the following day taking in a few more historic sites and museums.

I began on Friday by heading to the Civil War Museum of the Western Theater in Bardstown since I had heard a lot of good things about it.

When I found it (I had parked in downtown Bardstown, intending to walk around and finding the museum, as I arrived before its 10:00 opening time, and I had trouble interpreting the signs I saw, before realizing the museum I wanted was at the bottom of the hill), I realized that everything I had heard about it was, in fact, true. This museum has an incredible amount of artifacts, from uniforms, to guns, to swords, and even musical instruments. At times, I even thought it might have too much on display to look at on one trip. To try to look at every single piece would be very difficult to do.

The museum is nicely arranged, starting with a brief display about the pre-war years and the first Battle of Bull Run, then goes into discussions and displays of the major battles in the west, in chronological order. It also has a few related displays such as one medical scene using mannequins,as well as the one about musical instruments.

After viewing the room with those displays, the visitor moves into a different area, with even more displays, including a reproduction of a camp scene and discussion of the war on the rivers.

The one artifact that got my attention the most was a flag belonging to the 16th Kentucky Infantry (USA). In the past I had done brief research on this unit after discovering that one of its members, John Clark of Company D, was the last Civil War veteran to die in Campbell County, Kentucky, where I have spent my entire life. I have given a few talks on Mr. Clark, so I have an interest in his life, and was fascinated to see his  unit's national flag. (In looking at this blog, it appears I have not posted any of the information I have found on John Clark, so I will need to rectify that situation in the future.)

The operators of this museum also run 4 other museums in Bardstown. Thanks to the generosity of the hosts, I was allowed a brief look at the Civil War room of the War Memorial of Mid-America museum, where they have artifacts from John Hunt Morgan. That was impressive too.

I wish I had paid to see the rest of that museum as well as the Women's Civil War Museum, though I'm not sure if that was open while I was there, but time ran short for me.

Still, I do highly recommend a trip to Bardstown to see the Civil War Museum of the Western Theater.  They are open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 pm daily from March 1 to December 15. Please visit their web site for more details.

To close this post, let me add happy Memorial Day to all out there. Please remember our veterans who have passed away, just as John Clark, on this special day of remembrance, as well as those serving today. God Bless the USA.

Trip to Perryville

I just took a 2 day trip through a few museum and historic sites in central and western Kentucky, and must say I had a blast. It was terrific, and hopefully will give me material for a few entries here.

I wish to begin with what my main motivation for the trip was - a visit to the Perryville Battlefield, site of the October 8, 1862 battle between Don Carlos Buell's Union troops and Braxton Bragg's Confederates.

Once I finally found my way there (thanks a lot, Garmin - not! :) ), I just loved it. I initially went into the museum which has been redone since my last visit and found it to be wonderful. They have a 28 minutes video about the battle, and many other displays about the fight and the people who fought in it. It is not a huge museum, but it has plenty of displays and artifacts and is certainly a must-see for anyone who wants to visit the battlefield.

I then walked the field, using a tour guide/flier I had gotten in the museum (free.) I took the "short trail" which is only 1.3 miles long, but thought I might finish it and then try a longer version. I did finish this "short loop" (with one brief detour off it to a stop from one of the longer tours) but this walk proved that distance is not everything. This town and battlefield really ought to be renamed "Perry-hill."

It is a difficult walk, up and down hills and ridges. I did have a backpack with some bottled water and a couple snacks, and carried my camera, but that weight was nothing compared to what the soldiers would have carried. Plus, my shorts, t-shirt and gym shoes were much more comfortable than anything the soldiers carried, yet I was very tired after just walking this tour. For the fully-uniformed and equipped soldiers who charged up these hills, with bullets and artillery shells filling the air, I earned an even bigger respect. This was not easy ground to cover, especially on a warm day (mid 80s - probably similar, maybe a bit cooler, than what it was during the battle.)

The field in the state historic site, which covers most of the afternoon's fighting along Parson's Ridge (or Open Knob) and Starkweather's Hill, is simply beautiful. Several times the descriptive signs noted that the Confederates fought hard to attack a hill and the Union, usually after a hard defense, fell back. When the Confederate to to the crest of one hill, all they saw was the Union troops on the crest of yet another ridge. That must have been not only physically tiring, but mentally exhausting, perhaps dis-spiriting, to the attackers.

Besides the constant "rolling hills" (if you have read that phrase and don't quite understand it, please visit Perryville and you will) what has struck me most about the battle was the bungling of the commanders on each side, especially Buell. He had been injured a few days prior, so may not have been in the proper mindset of an army leader, plus an "acoustic shadow" supposedly prevented him from hearing the battle, meaning that many of his men did not get used. The Union outnumbered the Confederates about 55,000 to 17,000, but Buell did not realize that a serious battle was taking place. Supposedly even that night, after discussing the day with Generals Alexander McCook, Lovell Rousseau and Philp Sheridan, he still did not comprehend that a major fight had just occurred.

Bragg, meanwhile, experienced the opposite problem of over-confidence. He did not realize that all of Buell's forces were in the area, so he thought his troops could whip the Yankees. How much of this lack of knowledge was his fault and how much blame belonged to his cavalry is a fair question to ponder about this issue, but still, even before this battle, Bragg had taken time to install a Confederate Governor in Kentucky's capital of Frankfort instead of pushing his army on more aggressively. This only helped the Union forces get into position to fight and defend the Bluegrass state.

On the other hand, another description I saw called this battle the ultimate "soldier's fight" which was decided by the men on the lines, giving their all, fighting hard all over the field, not leaving it up to their leaders or to any grand strategies or tactics. Even with that perspective, I have to wonder how each leader allowed his army to get into such positions - Buell where his overwhelming numbers were not used and Bragg to where he faced such an enemy. This Kentucky campaign and the ending at Perryville provided laurels for neither leader.

I'll admit that even after this trip I'm no expert on the battle, but the above comments indicate what my current understanding of the battle is. Perhaps I'm too harsh on one or the other of the two commanders, but this sure strikes me as an unimpressive performance on their part. Buell, in fact, was replaced by William Rosecrans shortly after the battle, and Bragg's reputation after the retreat to Tennessee was severely, perhaps permanently, damaged as well.

As for the men in the field, my views are completely opposite to what I feel about their leaders. To fight on such hilly terrain, in such hot, dry weather, and to keep going on until daylight ended (the number of hills and ridges allowed the Union forces to keep falling back until it was too late for the Confederates to continue as General Leonidas Polk stopped his men from further attacks.

As for my tour of the battlefield, after I was done with the walking portion, I took the driving tour, which I had never done before. Using the access road in the park, I saw several points of interest that the "short loop" did not include, and then road into town, across the Chaplin River with its water that was so rare and precious 148 year ago, and saw Merchants Row for the first time. I drove near the site of Buell's headquarters (no longer standing) and then found Bragg's headquarters as well. Bragg's was tough to find as the sign that the driving tour instructs you to look for is hidden by a tree, and the house itself is hard to see due to the trees in front of it. Please see the below picture.



One complaint I have about the park is that I wish they had cleaned the signs, and even the cannons, throughout the tour. It's a rural area, with lots of birds, and the tour reinforced this. Several of the signs were difficult to read, partially due to exposure, but bird droppings also covered some of the text at times. That's not the kind of stuff you just wipe off with your hands. I understand they cannot be perfectly clean all of the time, but it looked to me like that had not been cleaned at all recently.

The same goes for the cannons. Although no text was being obscured, seeing some of the cannons with a bunch of bird waste on them was a bit disheartening. It just does not look good.

I understand it's a difficult job to take care of so many acres, so I won't harp on those small gripes, as that did not affect the enjoyment of my trip and overall experience. It is a beautiful place and really created a feeling in me of what type of challenges these tens of thousands of young men faced and the sacrifices and efforts they made to support their causes.

I did take a bunch of pictures, and hopefully labeled them correctly. I will have them posted online soon.

Good news about Perryville

As I'm planning my trip to the state historic site honoring the largest Civil War battle here in the beautiful Commonwealth, I found an email in my inbox this morning. Unfortunately, I can't change my schedule to be at this ceremony, but it sounds really cool, and it is certainly news worthy of a commemoration.


Dear CWPT Supporter,


You are cordially invited to join us next Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at Perryville, Ky., to celebrate the transfer of 54 acres of hallowed ground to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for inclusion in Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.
CWPT leaders, including President James Lighthizer and Chairman John L. Nau, III, will be joined by Kentucky Tourism, Heritage and Arts Secretary Marcheta Sparrow and other Commonwealth officials to mark this historic occasion.


Following the ceremony, historians Kent Masterson Brown and Kurt Holman will lead a walking tour of the property. The event will also include a reception hosted by Friends of Perryville Battlefield.


The event site is located on Battlefield Road, southeast of the Visitor Center. Signage and park staff will direct attendees to the parking area nearby.


WHAT: Land Transfer Ceremony, Tour and Reception at the Perryville Battlefield
WHO: CWPT leadership, Kentucky Tourism, Heritage and Arts Secretary Marcheta Sparrow, and other Commonwealth officials
WHEN: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Battlefield Road, southeast of the Visitor Center, Perryville Battlefield, Kentucky


No RSVP is necessary. For more information, please visit our website or contact Emily Egel (eegel@civilwar.org) or Mary Koik (mkoik@civilwar.org).


We hope to see you at Perryville next week!

Here are links to the Civil War Preservation Trust's map of the Perryville battle, and then a link to an interview with Kenneth Noe, author of: Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle

On the map, the 54 acres now being saved are in light blue on the far right side. It is where Patrick Cleburne began his march to attack Union forces.


This was certainly a great email for me to see this morning - a unique birthday gift in one sense.  I wish I could attend the ceremony, but hopefully my own tour of this hallowed ground will be enjoyable and eye-opening.

Booths in Cincinnati

As was I flipping through a recently-acquired copy of The Lincoln Assassination Encyclopedia by Edward Steers Jr, I found an interesting tidbit on pages 65 and 66.

In an entry about Junius (Jun) Brutus Booth Jr. older brother of John Wilkes Booth, Steers notes: "At the time of the assassination, Jun was appearing at the Pike Opera House in Cincinnati. Like his brother Edwin, he hid in his room from angry crowds that might have hanged him if they found him."

This interesting tidbit, which might be a good idea for further research for me to do to see if any local newspapers at the time realized he was in the area, reminded me of a note I had found in previous research about the Siege of Cincinnati, a Cincinnati Enquirer article of November 13, 1862 had an announcement in the Amusements section:

Booth at the National: - The great French drama of the Corsican Brothers will be presented this evening, Mr. J. Wilkes Booth appearing in the double of "Fabian" and "Louis," supported by the entire company. The announcement of this thrilling drama alone should crowd the "Old Drury." Mr. Booth's engagement is rapidly drawing to a close, and consequently but a few nights more are granted in which to see the splendid acting of the young tragedian.

Given that this was only a few weeks after the announcement of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln and Booth's disdain for emancipation, I do have to wonder what non-acting thoughts were going through his head at this time.

A similar announcement appeared in the November 19, 1862 Enquirer, and then on November 14, 1863, the paper reported:

National Theater - Mr. J. Wilkes Booth will appear to-night for the second and last time in his great impersonation of "Richard III."  This is Mr. Booth's masterpiece. No actor now upon the stage can render the character of the hump-backed tyrant with equal affect. In short, Booth out-Richards Richard. The piece will be produced in superb style, and none should fail to see it. Mr. Booth's engagement closes to-morrow night.

Book Review: West Pointers and the Civil War

West Pointers and the Civil War: The Old Army in War and Peace

author: Wayne Wei-Siang Hsieh

copyright 2009

University of North Carolina Press

When I first began to read this book, it struck me as being a tough read, perhaps a bit too technical for my tastes, but after just a couple of minutes of reading, the author's style grew on me quickly and I found the book to be readable, enjoyable and informative. It was kind of unique in that regard, but I truly did start enjoying it more after I had warmed up to it briefly.

Hsieh's book tells the story of the development of the "old army" especially how it learned, developed and studied tactics, and, maybe just as importantly, how the army developed a nationalistic and fairly conservative culture that would play a big role in how the Civil War unfolded.

The author does a fine job of detailing how the American military's poor performance in the War of 1812 alarmed military leaders of the time and how they took steps to improve the military's efficiency, while fighting against an American tradition of disapproval of standing armies (or, as Hsieh calls it on page 2 "an Anglo-American martial tradition that had glorified the civic and military virtue of the studiously unprofessional citizen-soldier"). Despite this mistrust of standing armies and professionalized military men, the American leaders were able to learn from the British and French and begin to write their own tactical manuals for military use. A lot of these were simply translations from the French, but as time passed American military leaders, such as Winfield Scott, started making additions or changes to the French tactics, as they deemed necessary due to the unique features of American geography.

When war with Mexico broke out in the mid-1840s, Hsieh points out that the U.S. Army performed much better than it had in the previous nation-state war with Britain, giving the army as an institution more confidence in its concept of professionalism.

What I found most fascinating about the book however, was when it got to the Civil War. The old army had developed a very conservative, nationalistic culture and tradition. The author shows examples of army officers in the 1850s following orders they may not have agreed with because it was their duty, and then shows how this mindset affected men deciding which side to support during the Civil War. Not all officers who had interests in the South automatically left the army to fight for this new nation; several stayed with the Union, supporting their country and army as they had learned to in the antebellum years. 

The prime examples of how this conservative mindset are well ilustrated by the author. He begins the book with a look at Robert E. Lee's refusal to resort to guerrilla warfare in the post-Appomattox days, and then discusses George McClellan's mindset (along with that of his followers and admirers, even amongst army men) during the war - the unwillingness to attack slavery being the primary motive. Hsieh points out that this was not necessarily an act of treason as many radical Republicans assumed, but rather an extension of the mindset and culture the old army had created among many of its officers. 

Hsieh also does a wonderful job of showing how McClellan basically fathered the Army of the Potomac, leaving his conservatism as part of the inheritance the army gained after his departure. Even the arrival of Ulysses Grant could not totally overcome the basic mindset that this Eastern army had learned from its original commander. I found this to be an especially interesting point, with good examples cited by the author.

Perhaps the main point of Hsieh's work is that the Civil War unfolded as it did because of two main factors: 1.The predominance of men of military and West Point (including other military schools such as Virgina Military Institute) backgrounds in positions of influence of both sides and 2. the fairly conservative culture these men learned and took to battle with them. With both Union and Confederate military leaders having such similar backgrounds, it is not surprising that both sides had similar military competence and similar strategies during the war. Of course, not everything was exactly the same on both side, but each side did fight a "nation-state" type of war instead of resorting to guerrilla action, as each side had a goal of having organized nation states after the war. Had one side done something radically different than the other, such as widespread guerrilla warfare, the war would likely have taken on a different form, but both sides had similar training and similar goals.  These commonalities led to a long, bloody war, with neither side having a dominant advantage over the other in military expertise, strategy or morale, as the Americans had had in the Mexican War. This explains the relative scarcity of "decisive victories" from either side during the war.

After reading this book, I found that the phrase "brother's war" has new meaning to me - not only does it refer to the familial connections of sibling taking each side, as most people use it to mean, but I can now see it as showing how the split of "West Point brothers" as they may be called had such a direct influence on the type and length of the war as well. Looking at the graduates of West Point as a type of  family is a perspective I had not thought about prior to reading this book.

Another point made throughout the book, especially regarding the Mexican War and the Civil War was that war is more than an act of technology and tactics. As Hsieh pointed out on page 158 "The Minie bullet and the trench certainly had a profound effect on battlefield conditions during this period, but all those effects had to be channeled through a military machinery grounded as much in flesh and blood as in lead and cordite." It was this "flesh and blood" military machine that he discussed throughout the book that had the biggest impact in how the Civil War developed. As he wrote on page 176 to back up this point: "More goes into war than the technical qualities of arms and ordnance - much still depends on the uncontrollable vagaries of Fortune, the ill-defined courage of the contending men-at-arms, and the basic competence of the leaders on hand."

I must confess that I found this a hard review to write, though I know not why. Hsieh's telling of the story of the development of the American army and how this process influenced the Civil War is a fascinating one and probably has too many interesting points for me to mention here. One part of the book I really like is the detailed end-notes at the end of the book - many of them provide other information or points worth considering.  

This is definitely a book Civil War students, especially those interested in the military side of the war, should consider having on their bookshelf.

(As always, this review is done on my own time and with no compensation from anyone. All opinions are simply my own thoughts expressed by my own will. Thank you for reading it.)

I voted!

Today was a primary election day in Kentucky and after getting home from work I was able to make it to the polling place a few minutes before it closed. The people inside said they had had good turnout throughout the day, which was good news to hear.

And I know the rest of this post may sound a bit "corny" or "sappy:" and maybe this entire post is too self-congratulatory, but so be it. I feel this is a very appropriate post to make. 

Being a Civil War blogger, I naturally started to think about the men camped out in rain, snow, or heat, risking their lives in battle or through exposure, and all their friends and families at home who missed them. It was the sacrifices of these individuals and families - and those from other wars from the Revolution to the War on Terror - that have allowed people like me the right to vote and I'm very glad I was able to exercise that right today.

 (American Flag GIF courtesy of  Pleasure Gait Farms  )

Civil War Book Club

Here's a new site I just learned about through a facebook posting (click on the link in this entry's title). It was established by Kraig McNutt, who runs the very enjoyable blogs the Battle of Franklin and the Civil War Gazette.

This new club will give members a chance to review at least one or two books per year, for reviews to be publishes on the site. Members can choose to be lead reviewers or panel reviewers, helping the lead reviewers on books.

I think I'm going to give it a try, as a panel reviewer, and hopefully the experience I've gained here in writing book reviews will only serve to help me. I admit I'll be a little bit nervous posting to this new club, but why not give it a shot.

It strikes me as a fascinating concept and I hope others see it and join it as well.

Good luck with this new venture, Kraig!

The Hero of Corinth

Here's another interesting story from The Civil War in Song and Story 1860-1865, collected and arranged by Frank Moore. It is from the 1882 version and this story comes from page 465 (with links, of course, added by me.)

It is an example of how much importance was placed on a unit's battle flag, the pride that soldiers took in protecting their own or capturing their enemy's.



The Hero of Corinth - Private Orrin B Gould, of company G, Twenty-seventh Ohio, was the hero of the battle of Corinth. The following letter to Governor Tod, from Colonel John W. Fuller, commanding the Ohio Brigade, embodies a history of young Gould's resplendent conduct.

      Headquarters, First Brigade, Second
              Division, Army of the Mississippi,
                        Near Ripley, Miss., Oct. 9, 1862

To the Governor of Ohio:

   SIR:  I have the honor of forwarding to your Excellency the "Battle-Flag" of the Ninth Texas regiment, which was captured by a private of the Twenty-Seventh Ohio infantry, at the battle of Corinth, Oct. 4, 1862.

   The rebels, in four close columns, were pressing with gallantry, amounting to recklessness, upon the Ohio brigade, with the evident intention of breaking our lines, when the terrible and incessant fire of our men drove them back in the utmost confusion.

   The Sixth Texas bore down upon the left centre of the 27th Ohio, with this flag at the head of their column, and advanced to within six or eight yards of our lines, when Orrin B. Gould, a private of company G, shot down the color-bearer, and rushed forward for the rebel flag. A rebel officer shouted to his men to "save the colors," and at the same moment put a bullet into the breast of Gould; but the young hero was not to be intimidated. With the flagstaff in his hand and the bullet in his breast, he returned to his  regiment, waving the former defiantly in the faces of the enemy.

   After the battle, when visiting the hospitals, I found young Gould stretched upon a cot, evidently in great pain. Upon seeing me, his pale face was instantly radiant with smiles, and pointing to his wound, he said, "Colonel, I don't care for this, since I got their flag."

   I have the honor to be, your Excellency's obedient servant,
    JOHN W. FULLER
    Colonel, Twenty-seventh Ohio, commanding
    First Brigade, Second Division
                                

Here is a  story about the 9th Texas Infantry which claims theirs was not the flag Private Gould captured.

 The below photograph is of Colonel John Fuller, courtesy of http://www.parkerscrossroads.com/Battle_Information/forces/fuller.htm

Battery Hooper Days needs help!

I know this entry may come across as almost self-serving and apologize if that is the case, but it is a message I wish to spread to as many people as possible. If you know any Civil War or history fans in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area (or anywhere), please feel free to share this information.

As we all are much too aware, the economy has struggled recently (counting today's wild ride on Wall Street) and that has had an impact on many people and events

Unfortunately, the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum is not immune to these problems, as a kind and excellent recent article in the Kentucky Enquirer points out.

Battery Hooper Days is our biggest event of the year, with over 1300 people having attended its 2 days last August. It is free to the public and is very family-friendly, with activities for the Civil War and history buff as well as for the children. Re-enactors set up a Civil War encampment, while another local group provides a cannon - hearing it fire is simply awesome. A local ladie's historical group provides a glimpse into the lives of women of the Civil War period and some of the fashions that were popular at the time, while other living historians add to the festivities. Children love the petting zoo that annually brings a flock of animals to display.It is a very popular local event, one that is perfect for families to attend for a few hours each year.

With funding for the event now falling on the hands of the museum and we who serve on its board, time is now ticking and going quickly. We are beginning a campaign to raise funds to help ensure the event takes place again this year. If we can raise at least $2500 by June 30th, it will be a go. We may be able to put it on with fewer dollars than that, but if we can reach that goal, there will be no question about it at all.

This is the beginning of a new era for the museum, not only for Battery Hooper Days, but for the museum's future operating funding as well. It will be quite a challenge for us, but, as President of the museum's Board of Directors this year, I am committed to having another successful Battery Hooper Days and keeping the museum running for years to come.

If anyone is interested in providing donations or sponsorships, please contact me, or you can send a check, payable to the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum (you may want to add "Battery Hooper Days" in the memo section) to:

The City of Fort Wright
409 Kyles Lane
Fort Wright KY 41011

Thank you, as always, for reading my ramblings and, in this case, for understanding the need for this message. As the sesquicentennial of the Civil War approaches, in the midst of a still-struggling economy, it's time to begin the fight to ensure that the Civil War period, though long gone, need not be forgotten.